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Christoph Dientzenhofer (1655–1722) is considered one of the most important Baroque master builders of Central Europe. From his extensive architectural oeuvre, a group of six church buildings with geometrically complex forms stands out, recognised by architectural historians as particularly innovative and influential. These churches, located in Bohemia (Czech Republic), and often collectively referred to as the ‘radical’, ‘dynamic’, ‘Guarinesque’, or simply ‘Bohemian’ group, are: St. Joseph in Obořiště (1702–11), the Castle Church in Smiřice (1702–11), St. Nicholas in the Lesser Town of Prague (1703–11), St. Clare in Cheb (1707–11), St. Margaret in Břevnov (1708–16), and the Church of the Holy Assumption in Nová Paka (1709–24). The brick vaults of these six buildings, sequences of oval domes and double-curved vault areas, are of particular interest for building research. In this study, the geometric design of the vaults of Dientzenhofer’s ‘radical’ churches is documented, analysed, and compared using 3D laser scans of the buildings as primary source. The 3D models generated from the scans enable a geometric analysis through the method of reverse geometric engineering, breaking down the vaults’ complex three-dimensional forms into their basic two-dimensional components: segments of circles with different radii and orientations, curved in one or two directions. These forms can be found in the architectural and stereotomic treatises that were widespread at the time. By comparing the vault geometry of the six churches with each other and with the geometric concepts discussed in the treatises, general statements can be made about the architect’s design choices. On the basis of this investigation, hypotheses are made about the design and underlying geometric ideas of the vaults of Dientzenhofer’s ‘radical group’, and the results are placed in context.
This paper investigates the case study of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer’s church of St. Hedwig in the Polish region of Silesia. The building, a popular pilgrimage church, is known in the history of art and architecture as a Late Baroque jewel with a curious design and famous frescoes. While the shape of the building and its vault has led to different interpretations in the past, its geometry has not yet been analysed on a reliable basis. Moreover, the construction of the brick vault has not yet been subject to scientific research. In order to investigate these aspects, a 3D laser scan of the vault’s extrados and intrados was utilised as the primary source. The 3D model generated from the scan not only enabled the detailed description of structural ribs, brick patterns and construction details on the extrados, but also made a geometrical analysis using reverse geometric engineering possible. The results show a geometric design of the vault surfaces as well as double-curved arches based on simple plane circle segments. This clear geometric definition of the vault is associated with a remarkable simplicity of construction method and centering. In the context of other vault designs by members of the Dientzenhofer professional circle of master builders and architects, the vault of St. Hedwig can be seen as both a continuation and an improvement in terms of geometric design and construction details.